Cutting machine



Dec. 31, 1929. H. w. RAG f 1,741,780

CUTTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 3. 1927 4 Y nven or:

)wf/Aj i Patented Dec. 31, 1929 nieren stares PA-TEN? HARRY W. KRAG, OF ST. LOS, MSSOUR, ASSGNOR TO AMERICAN SHE MACHINERY AND TOOL COJIPA Y, OF ST. LG'US, MISSOUR, A COROEATLN GE' MISSOUR CUTTING MACE-HNE Application led January 3, 1927.

claimed.

ln the accompanyino drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a leather splitting machine embodying my invention, parts being shown broken away to more clearly illustrate said invention;

F ig. 2 is an end view of said machine Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing the gear housing and the portions of the machin-es located adjacent thereto; and

Fig. l is a vertical section taken on the line le-4; looking in the direction of thegear box.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, my invention is shown in connection with a leather splitting machine of the linedknife, gear-driven, roller-feed type. 'f he frame of said machine comprises .spaced upriglits or standards l connected at the top by a cross-head 5 and at the bottom by a base portion 6 adapted to be bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to a table or work bench (not shown). Located below the cross-head 5 of the frame, between the spaced uprights t thereof, are horizontally journalled cooperating upper and lower feed rolls 7 and 8, respectively, adapted to feed the work against the cutting edge of a knife 9 adjustably supported on a supporting bracket 10 bolted to the front faces of said upriOhts. The knife supporting bracket 10 is disposed at a height adapted to place the cutting edge of the knife 9 in a position to receive the Vwork which is fed thereto by the pair of cooperating feed rolls 7 and 8. .ln

`lug 23 on the frame. 22 has a tapered upper end portion which has a bearing in a central circular opening pro- Selial No. 158,573.

front of the lower feed roll, near the top thereof, is a work supporting bracket or guide in the forni of a shelf 1()a which eX- tends horizontally from upright to uprigl'it and is integral therewith.

'lhe upper feed roll 7 is fixed to a horizontal shaft 11 liournalled at its opposite ends in bearing blocks 12 slidably mounted in vertical slideways 13 provided therefor' in the spaced uprights l, and likewise, the lower feed roll 8, whose peripheral surface is corrugated, is fixed to a horizontal shaft 1e whose ends are rotatably supported in bearing blocks 15 that are also slidably mounted in the vertical sliceways 18 of said uprights. Each of the bearing blocks 15 for the lowermost feed roll shaft 14: is supported on the upper end of a Vertical pin 16, which is slidable in a vertical bore provided therefor in a cross member 17 at the lower end of each vertical slideway 13. rllhe upper end ofeach pin 16 is threaded int-o a bearing block 15, and its lower end is rotatably supported at its lower end in a depression in a metal disk 18, which is seated in a circular depression formed in a pressed metal disk 19 supported on the upper end of a coil spring 20. Each coil spring 2O is vsupported at its low-er end on a metal disk 21 which, iii turn, is suppoited on the upper end of a vertical adjusting screw 22 threaded through a horizontal Each adjusting screw vided therefor in the disk 21 supported thereon. By this arrangement, the lower feed roll 8 is adapted to yield slightly under pressure of the work, but also holds the work against the cooperating surface of the upper feed roll 7. ward movement of the lower feed roll 6 is limited by locking nuts 24, which are As shown in the drawing, up-

'Y rection to secure the desired thickness of split leather. The wedge bar 26 is shifted endwise VYby means of an adjusting lever Q8 which is pivoted to the cross-head 5 of the frame for a vertical'jswinging movement by means of aY horizontal pivot screw 29. Thelower arm of the adjusting lever QS'has a bifurcated end portion which straddles a pin 3, which projects horiz'lontallyl from the slide bar 2G; and the upper arm of said adjusting :lever is pro vided with' an arena slot 3l adapted to ac commodatea horizontal pin 3:2 fixed to an upstanding ear 33 on VYthe cross member 5 of the frame. The pin 32 extends through the upwardly extending portion of a gage plate 34, which is secured to the frame by the pivot screw 29, and is threaded toereceive a thumb screw 35, whereby the adjusting lever 28 may glbe locked in the desired adjusted position.

The lower edgeof the gage plate 34 isgraduated to indicate split leather in'irons; and the outer end of the pin 30'earried by the wedge bar 26 is' of triangular section and has one corner which cooperates with the graduations on the gage plate and serves as an indicator. As shown' in the drawing; the cross-head 5 of the frameiis provided with stop screws 36, which prevent upward movement of the wedge bar and constitute means for adjusting the top roll so that itis parallel to the knife. d

The upperjrand lower feed rolls are both positively driven by gearing located in a gear housing 37 located at one end of the frame. The side walls of said gear housing are pro- 'vided with axially alined holes adapted to re ceive the adjacent endef the vertically movable lower feed roll shaft 14, whereby said housing is supported on and nieves with said feed roll shaft. As shown in the drawing, the inner side wall of the gear box 37 is provided with an opening 37 which receives the adj acent portions of the upper feed roll shaft and the bearing block therefor and is made large enough to permit vertical adjustment of said bearing block and feed roll shaft and to permit vertical sliding movement of the gear box with the lowerYV feed roll shaft, which supports saidgear bofrx. Rotation of the gear housing on the lowermost feed roll shaft is prevented by means of a horizontal tongue or projection 38 on the top of theVV housing which projects between the opposing faces of the vertical slideway in the upright adjacent thereto'.Y The gearing for driving beth feed rolls comprises a pinion 39 disposed within the housing and fixed to a horiontal shaft 40 journalled in bearings 41 provided therefor in the opposing side walls of said housing. The pinion shaftll() projects beyond the outer side wall of the gear housing and is provided with a suitable iandle or crank 42 for turning it. VFixed to the lower feed Vroll shaft, between the epposinev side walls of the housing supported thereon, are two gears 43 and 44 of dif ferent diameters. The outer of these two gears is the larger one 43 and is of proper size to mesh with the pinion 39 provided therefor in the gear housing. The second or inner gear 44 's arsmaller gear in position to intermesh with a. gear 45 which is fixed to the adjacent end of the upper feed roll shaft ll within the gear housing and is of the same diameter as Y' *'le inner gear 44 on thelower feed roll shaft VYIn the operation of the machine the bottom feed roll is adjusted bymeans of the adjusting screws 22 to bring the top: of said roll parallel t and sulistantially at the level ofthe cutting` edee of the knife; and the machine is then set to remove the desired thicknessof leather from the bottom ofthe stock by means of the gage lever 28. Vhen thus adjusted, the distance between the top roll and the cutting edge of the knife corresponds substantially Vto the thickness of the leather thatis to be removed from the bottom of the stock. The stock that is to be split or levelednis then placed onthe shelf lOaat the rear of the machine with the grain side uppermost and moved into engagement with the cooperating feed rolls which are then rotated by turning the crankr42, whereupon the stock is drawn het veen the rolls and forced against the cuttingl edge of the knife blade 9. As the strip pa s between the rotating feed rolls, the lower roll forced downwardly against the j'nessure ofrns supporting springs 20, a distance corresponding approximately to the thickness of the leather that is to be removed from the bottom of the stock; and, ifithe strip Yhas atapering cross-section, the bottom roll will acconunodate itself automaticaliy to the under surface of the strip by tilting'on said springs. Y

As shown inthe drawing, the depth of the teeth of the intermeshing gears 45 and 44 on the upper and lower feed roll shafts 1l and 14, respectively, is such that the two gears remain in mesh when the lower gear moves downwardly witlr the lower feed roll. It is also noted that the gear housing or guard 37 is supported on and moves with the lower feed roll shaft and that the drive pinion 39, which meshes with the large reducing gear 43 fixed to said lower feed roll shaft, is j ournalled on and moves with said housing, said shaft and said reducing gear. By this arrangement of drive gearing, the intermeshing pinion 39 and reducing gear 43 move with the lower feed roll 8; and the centers of the two meshing gears are kept in fixed relation to each other and are thus prevented from separating when working under load.

Obviously, numerous changes may be made without departing from the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown.

lV hat I claim is:

l. A skiving machine comprising a frame, a skiving knife, a pair of cooperating upper and lower feed rolls rotatably supported in said frame for feeding the work against said knife, said lower feed roll being arranged for vertical sliding movement towards and away from said upper feed roll, gearing for driving said upper and lower feed rolls, and a housing for said gearing mounted on and movable with said vertically movable lower feed roll, said gearing comprising a gear rotatably supported in said gear housing and meshing with a gear on said lower' feed roll, and intermeshing gears on said pair of cooperating upper and lower feed rolls, said housing comprising inner and outer side walls having openings therein adapted to fit the lower feed roll, the inner wall of said housing having an opening therein adapted to receive the upper feed roll shaft and large enough to permit movement of the housing relative thereto.

2. A skiving machine comprising a frame, a skiving knife, a pair of cooperating upper and lower horizontal feed rolls rotatably supported in said frame for feeding the work against said knife, said lower feed roll being mounted in said frame for vertical sliding movement towards and away from said upper feed roll, gearing for driving said upper and lower feed rolls, and a housing for said gearing mounted on said vertically movable lower feed roll, said gearing comprising a drive pinion rotatably supported in said gear housing, a reducing gear on said lower feed roll and meshing with said pinion, and intermeshing gears on said pair of cooperating upper and lower feed rolls, all of said gears being located within said housing.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 29 day f Dec., 1926.

HARRY W. KRAG. 

